Community infection rate in city down 13 per cent

Figures exclude hospitals, seniors’ homes where most cases still occurring

Across the island of Montreal, the rate of new COVID -19 infection in the community — outside of closed facilities such as hospitals and seniors’ homes — fell by 13 per cent over the past week, according to data released by Montreal public health Wednesday.

Once a week, Montreal’s public health authority releases the numbers related to the COVID -19 pandemic over the past seven days and breaks them down, reporting statistics for each of the 25 communities on the island. But this is the first time public health has released numbers tracking new cases that exclude those in closed facilities, such as hospitals, longterm care facilities, private seniors’ residences, rehabilitation centres, prisons and shelters.

Over the week of May 19 to 25, there were 1,505 new cases confirmed outside closed facilities across the island, a decline of 13 per cent in the detected rate of community infection over the previous week. That is an infection rate in the wider community of 72.86 per 100,000.

Including cases in closed facilities, the island of Montreal had 24,611 confirmed positive cases as of Wednesday, an increase of 223 overnight and of 2,294 since May 19.

A total of 2,624 people on the island have died of the disease since the beginning of the pandemic.

Eight of the island’s 25 boroughs or municipalities saw their community infection rate increase, while the rest decreased. The following boroughs or municipalities saw an increase outside of closed facilities:

Villeray—st-michel—parc-extension: ■ 185 new cases, a 20 per cent increase over the previous week, resulting in a community infection rate of 128.6 cases per 100,000 population.

■ Ahuntsic-cartierville: 128 new cases, four per cent increase, rate of 95.35

■ St-laurent: 93 new cases, eight per cent increase, rate of 94.1

■ Lasalle: 50 new cases, four per cent increase, rate of 65.06

■ Lachine: 28 new cases, four per cent increase, rate of 62.94

■ Dollard-des-ormeaux: 22 new cases, 29 per cent increase, rate of 44.99

■ Pointe-claire: 19 new cases, 19 per cent increase, rate of 60.55

■ Côte-st-luc: 15 new cases, 67 per cent increase, rate of 46.23

The cases and deaths continue to be concentrated in long-term care facilities and private seniors’ homes. As of Wednesday, 170 such facilities on the island were reporting at least one confirmed case of COVID -19.

The eastern and northern regions of the island are the hardest hit, home to more than half of the island’s confirmed COVID -19 cases combined. The health centre that serves the eastern part of the island reported 7,618 cases as of Tuesday, and the centre serving the northern sector reported 6,144.

Across the island, the average rate of infection per 100,000 people was 1,180.6. Twenty-one per cent of those infected were healthcare workers.

The communities with rates of infection above the overall average for the island are: Ahuntsic–cartierville (1,512.9 cases per 100,000 population), Anjou (1,416), Côtest-luc (1,482.4), Lasalle (1,371.4), Mercier—hochelaga-maisonneuve (1,499), Montreal-nord (2,686.6), Town of Mount Royal (1,208.1), Rivière-des-prairies—pointe-auxtrembles (1,811.8), St-léonard (1,264.3), Verdun (1,265.4), Villeray—st-michel—parc-extension (1,238.1) and Lachine (1,184.6).

Some of the communities with the worst overall rates of infection actually saw their rates of community infection — outside closed facilities — decline substantially over the previous week. For example, Montreal-nord, which has the highest overall infection rate on the island, had a community infection rate of 176.89 per 100,000 — down 26 per cent. Rivière-des-prairies— Pointe-aux-trembles had a community infection rate of 100.24 per 100,000, down 34 per cent.